John Brooks Slaughter

John Brooks Slaughter
11th President of Occidental College
In office 1989–1999
Preceded by	Richard C. Gilman
Succeeded by	Ted Mitchell
5th (and last) Chancellor of the University of Maryland, College Park
In office 1982–1988
Preceded by	Robert Gluckstern
Succeeded by	William English Kirwan (as president)
6th Director of the National Science Foundation
In office 1980–1982
President	Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Richard C. Atkinson
Succeeded by	Edward A. Knapp
Personal details
Born	(1934-03-16)March 16, 1934 Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Died	December 6, 2023(2023-12-06) (aged 89) Pasadena, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Washburn University Kansas State University University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego
Scientific career
Fields	Electrical engineering
Institutions	Navy Electronics Laboratory
Thesis	The solution of a class of optimal control problems by linear and piecewise-linear programming techniques (1971)

John Brooks Slaughter (March 16, 1934 – December 6, 2023) was an American electrical engineer and college president who served as the first African-American director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).^[1] His work focused on the development of computer algorithms for system optimization and discrete signal processing.